Lord Colin Moynihan 'Moved for Debate' the plight of the Honey Bee and its continued decline.
In a statement set out to the House of Lords on the 22nd May 2009, Lord Moynihan told how the honey bee - Apis mellifera - has come under attack from more than one devastating condition that threatens the existence of the species.
The varroa mite, protozoa, viruses and bacteria as well as colony collapse disorder that has left the plight of the bee population in 'an uncertain world'
Applauding the recent grant of £10 million towards research, Lord Moynihan sought assurances that the funding can be put into place quickly and avoid dilution of its impact by directing the money to research on bees and primary pollinators and not a "myriad small and unco-ordinated research grants covering a wide range of the thousands of insects which, to varying degrees, can be termed pollinators."
Lord Moynihan confirmed that the plight of the bee has never been more prominent and has welcomed the funding but is extremely worried that the process of allocating the money could take until 2010- a timetable is, in his view - and I am sure a view that is shared by anyone who has an interest in this serious environmental issue - unacceptable.
In calling for the research to be put on a 'fast track', highlighting a recent report by DEFRA that lays out five key criteria on bee health - Healthy Bees: Protecting and Improving the Health of Honey Bees in England and Wales.
“The plan describes the five main things we want to achieve working with, individual beekeepers, their associations and other stakeholders.
"These are: To keep pests, diseases and other hazards to the lowest levels achievable; To promote good standards of husbandry to minimise pest and diseases risks and contribute to sustaining honey bee populations—prevention is better than cure; To encourage effective biosecurity to minimise risks from pests, diseases and an undesirable species; To ensure that sound science underpins bee health policy and its implementation; and ... To get everyone to work together on bee health”.
My view is that we should be in no doubt about the importance of the role the humble honey bee plays in the production of food crops as a key pollinator and every effort should be made, as quickly as possible, towards a solution.
Read the full Lords' debate on Bees.
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